A Separate Peace

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A Separate Peace

Czare Nicholas II The German army fought the Great War on two fronts. They battled the French, British and Belgians on the Western Front, while they faced Russia on the Eastern Front. By 1917, the Russian people were too busy solving their own problems to continue fighting.

Civil war broke out twice in Russia. Disastrous military defeats sapped public morale. Czar Nicholas II abdicated in March and a democratic provisional government formed. Radical forces led by Vladimir Lenin toppled the provisional government in November.

The new government had no interest in making the same mistakes as the Czar. It agreed to a “separate peace” with Germany. This took Russia out of the war by February 1918. The terms of the agreement were harsh. The new government in Russia lost a great deal of land to Germany, but would eventually develop into a military empire known as the Soviet Union. Germany could now move its soldiers to the Western Front, just in time to face a new opponent.

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To cite this page:
Dowling, Mike, "A Separate Peace," available from http://www.mrdowling.com/706-russia.html; Internet; updated Sunday, January 22, 2006 . ©2008, Mike Dowling. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy